Dreaming of Mountaineering: Mont Blanc and L'Aiguille du Midi
When I grow up, I want to be a mountaineer. I just wish I had known sooner. Why else would I eye the mountaineers on the gondola with so...
Bonjour from the Top of Europe (Kind Of)
As I write this, the colors of the sky in the background of the massifs are changing ever so slowly. It’s almost 10 pm here and the sun...
Sandals to Romp Out and Travel In This Summer
Summer has made its big arrival in the Sierras. And what that equates to are seemingly endless days of sunshine! Biophiliacs like me...
Believing More and Defeating the Defeatists
I'm in the thick of a struggle with a person very, very dear to me. And the struggle stems from a mismatch in attitudes. There is...
Climb Like a Girl: A First Attempt at Outdoor Rockclimbing
Today, the inevitable happened. Some things just won't let go of me, no matter how hard I try to shake them off. Rock climbing has been...
Olympic National Park: Boulder Creek Trail to Olympic Hot Springs
Deep in the heart of Olympic National Park in the northwest corner of Washington State, I feel like I've stepped into technicolor. ...
The Un-damming of Elwha (Also By the River Elwha I Sat and Wept)
It is a story that caused my heart to wrench, to break. I’m already one of the biggest crybabies to begin with, dropping a tear at...
If the Shoe Fits: Practical Advice for Selecting the Right Hiking Shoe
I get gear questions here and there and selecting the right shoe for hiking is probably one I get the most of. Shopping for the right...
Waterfalls and Wildflowers
Some days are just meant to be epic. We had been getting much-needed rain here in the high desert and on a one day reprieve, we decided...
Walking on Water in La Sportiva Synthesis Surround GTX Hiking Shoes
Living in the midst of mountains is something I never thought I would come to appreciate. I'm an urbanite, born and raised, and plopping...
